English road conditions improve significantly

Local road conditions in England have improved significantly over the past three years, a survey released today (Thursday) has revealed.

The 2003 National Road Maintenance Condition Survey (NRMCS) on the condition of roads and footways in England and Wales shows that the defects index for English local roads fell between 2000 and 2002 but rose slightly from 107.6 to 108.4 in 2003. A significant decrease in the index indicates an improvement in road condition.

The local roads defects index for England and Wales rose from 104.6 in 2002 to 106.7 in 2003 indicating that the long-term trend of deteriorating visual road condition has stopped.

Real improvements have also been seen on built-up principal and built-up unclassified roads, but rutting and edge deterioration remain a problem.

There was good news for the National Assembly for Wales, which has a target that by 2004-05 no more than 13% of the all purpose trunk roads network should need close monitoring of its structural condition. Following an improvement in structural condition for the first time since the survey began in 1993, its value in 2003 was 11.2%.

As far as maintenance expenditure on local roads in England is concerned, levels were fairly stable in the early 1990s but were around some 25% lower towards the end of the decade.

During this period, visible conditions on local roads worsened, but since then funding has increased and this has been followed by the recent overall improvement in conditions.